Hi all, it is time that I update this and give it a new face. I want this to be more of a resource, so I will keep updating this top post with the most useful links, this way you don't have to scroll through all messages to find the links you need. You are welcome to post more and I will add to the list, but I will try to keep every link in this first message. So here is a compilation of what I consider the most useful and user friendly ones (the ones in bold are the most scientifically accurate, the others have mostly good IDs but they need to be double checked):

Thanks, Luis,
Good to see this compiled succinctly. Members should be aware that not all online resources can be counted on for utmost accuracy, so best to cross-check with ones created by museums or scientific organizations if possible.
Cheers,
Marli

Marli Wakeling

www.marliwakeling.comDuct tape is like the force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together. ~Carl Zwanzig

A couple of months ago I published "A fieldguide to the marine fishes of Wales and adjacent waters" (which actually covers most of the UK and Ireland as well). I have now started the update - by creating a website which will add data in as and when it becomes available. It is designed in iWeb, is (hopefully) very simple and is intended to supply ADDITIONAL information (or clearer) to the book.

I stopped being cheap and bought it. 2000 pixs all seem clear and reasobable quality with a short write up including latin and common names, location and habits. I haven't searched exhaustively but have not found any obvious errors. Seems like a good start for an always on hand ID source for many classes of reef critters and plants. Now I have it does it stop being "Online critter ID"

I've just discovered Corals Of The World. Seems like the next best thing to Veron's book, which is way out of my budget. It's no good for browsing pics of corals, but if you have a good idea of what the coral is, then there are data, photos and distribution maps to help you confirm.

If we're talking online, I keep Teresa Zubi's sea star page bookmarked, as well as the World Astreroida Database, but the latter is no good for browsing through pics to ID. Humann & DeLoach's Tropical Pacific Reef Creature Identification has something like 50 sea star species in it, with loads of pics, and it nailed most of my undetermined species. Depending on your region, it's a fantastic book anyway for everything else.

Thanks, Nick. I think those sites will be useful for tropical species. There's a few species from around Sydney that I'm yet to nail. I have quite a few general books (e.g. Gosliner et al, for tropical inverts and Edgar for temperate Australia) but the more the merrier.

Shorefishes of the Tropical Eastern Pacific by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute is available at www.stri.org/sftep.

Two new free ID guide apps for neotropical shore-fishes, both with English and Spanish interfaces have also just been released. Release info below:

Fishes: East Pacific, version 2, with iPad optimization, several iPad-specific features & an updated database. Covers 1,297 species & includes 3,600+ images. https://itunes.apple...d494644648?mt=8 or search in iTunes store for fishes east pacific

Fishbase is the very first resource listed in this thread and for good reasons. There is one way I like to use it that may not be obvious so I thought I would post.

On the main page scroll down to Information by Country / Island

Pick the place you are going to for your next trip and click on the Reef-associated

bullet before it. This takes you to a table with all fish that have been reported from that region.

At the top in the sort by row select Family and then, at the end of that row, show photos

By default the results are shown on multiple pages. You can change it to show everything on one page by selecting all right above the table.

In your browser, select save-as and you get a copy of the table and all images on your hard disk. Now you have your own off-line copy of all regional fish with images that you can call up by typing file://wherever/you/stored/thefile/fishlist.php in the browsers address field.

The browser's find button let's you quickly jump to the fish/family you are interested in. If you do have an internet connection you can click the links and go directly to the relevant fishbase page with all the details.